Biobased Linear Alkyl-Benzene Production by Hydrodeoxygenation of Cardanol Under Ambient Pressure

Abstract

An innovative and green method for 1-phenyl pentadecane production is presented by that utilizes the hydrogenation of cardanol (unsaturated 3-n-pentadecylphenol) under ambient pressure. Different from the common production of branched alkylbenzenes from Friedel–Crafts alkylation method, in which expensive long chain α-olefins and anhydrous HF or AlCl3 acid are used, 1-phenyl pentadecane has better biodegradability and can be used in the production of high-value chemicals or biofuels, such as surfactant detergents, lubricants and diesel fuel additives. The reaction under ambient pressure is milder than high pressure HDO reaction that can avoid excessive H2 consumption and reduce the reaction cost. The 20 MT catalyst used in this research can be reused in five cycles, and the conversion rates remained greater than 90%. This reusable property allows this hydrodeoxygenation reaction process to be conducted in a fluidized bed reactor. The hydrodeoxygenation of cardanol under ambient pressure provides a new method for linear alkylbenzene production that results in a high yield from a bio-based raw material, cardanol.